Azai Nagamasa

[That Bastard]

Name: Azai Nagamasa
Nickname: The Cockblocker of Bizen
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Omi, Ransei
Family: Azai Hisamasa (Father; Deceased), Oichi (Wife), Oda Nobunaga (Brother-in-Law)

Trainer Orientation: Lawful Good
Trainer Class: Daimyo
Starter Pokémon: Karrablast

Character Theme:
Hiroyuki Sawano — Unicorn (Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn)

To Choose Between Honor and Love:
Hiroyuki Sawano — Life & Death (Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn)

Escavalier [Male] — You mangy curs that prey on the innocent! Face me!
Nagamasa's first Pokémon, gifted from his father, Escavalier has the same sense of honor and justice as Nagamasa. Where Nagamasa is an offensive lancer, Escavalier looks to defend those he fights alongside, attacking as a secondary feature. Escavalier carries a wisteria blossom gifted by Oichi, and has sworn an oath to her on his honor to look after Nagamasa.
—Received in Omi.

Ability: Shell Armor
Move Pool: Quick Guard, Iron Defense, Reversal, Iron Head, False Swipe, Leer, Substitute, Protect, Giga Impact, Swords Dance

Rhydon [Male] — Just because I can drill you between the eyes doesn't mean I don't like poetry.
Caught as one of the Rhyhorn native to the plains of Omi, Rhydon is the bulldozer of Nagamasa's team, unleashed when catastrophic damage is needed in a hurry. True to his species, Rhydon is highly intelligent, and outside of battle, is quite fond of formal tea ceremonies and Go.
—Captured in Omi.

Ability: Rock Head
Move Pool: Horn Drill, Megahorn, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Bulldoze, Drill Run, Smack Down, Rock Blast, Rock Tomb, Rock Polish

Farfetch'd [Female] - If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, it's probably going to stab you in the eye.
A recent gift from Oichi, Farfetch'd is nonetheless a useful member of Nagamasa's team, focusing on high-speed, usually-aerial attacks to distract and harry an opponent, leaving them vulnerable to devastating attacks on the ground from Nagamasa, Escavalier, or Rhydon. Picking up the fondness for wisteria from Nagamasa and Oichi, Farfetch'd likes to spend her time in the wisteria trees throughout Omi.
—Gift from Oichi.

Ability: Inner Focus
Move Pool: Night Slash, Leaf Blade, Air Slash, Brave Bird, Knock Off, Swords Dance, Agility, Aerial Ace, Feint, Psych Up

Somewhat unusually for a Japanese male of the time period, Nagamasa is not only considerably taller than most men, but also has a dark-ish blond hair color, which he wears thick, loose, and short. It is unknown what caused his lighter hair coloration, only that it has been that way since childhood, and was apparently a source of ridicule during his younger years.

Nagamasa's attire out of battle is almost identical to that of in combat, the difference being that the armored vestments underneath his overcoat and clothing are not worn outside of battle. He also forgoes his really huge hat when not in battle. Really, that thing's not comfortable to wear.

Artwork from Samurai Warriors 2.

Nagamasa is an optimistic romanticist at heart. A skilled and dutiful general, his lance and determination shape him into a formidable force in the field. He believes that he can uphold his just and idealistic beliefs, even in the chaotic times that surrounds him. He deeply cares for love, honor, and peace. He feels regretful for his betrayal, but remains resolute in his beliefs. Even with his good traits, Nagamasa is very innocent and unassuming to the point that people consider him to be stupid.

He is very devoted to Oichi and constantly worries about her safety. Self sacrificing for her wellbeing, he hurries to her rescue if and when she is ever in danger. Before his demise, he will even brave the difficult choice of having her leave him to avoid having her join him.

The first son of Azai Hisamasa, Nagamasa inherited the leadership of his clan at age 15, when many of his father's retainers had compelled the elder Azai to step down and hand control to his son. Hisamasa acquiesced, and served as a close advisor and mentor to his son in clan leadership. In the first four years of his leadership, Nagamasa successfully fended off attempts by Rokkaku Yoshitaka and Saitō Tatsuoki to encroach on the lands of Omi.

It was after seeing this display of power, and aware of the strategic location of Omi on the path to Kyoto, that Oda Nobunaga arranged to marry his younger sister, Oichi, to Nagamasa. Though it was initially a mere political marriage, Nagamasa and Oichi soon fell deeply in love. A wonderful thing in its own right, this deep bond would eventually become a source of pain.

For reasons unknown, Oda chose to campaign against the Asakura clan. Caught between the generations-old alliance between the Azai and Asakura, and the anathemic choice of betraying Oichi's brother, Nagamasa initially wished to stay out of the matter altogether. However, he knew that the Asakura would have no assistance against the vastly-overwhelming Oda Army, and honor compelled him to take the field in favor of the older alliance, his arrival routing the Oda Army at the Battle of Kanegasaki.

Within a few months, the forces of Oda were on the march again, though this time their sights were set on Azai. The combined Oda-Tokugawa Army outnumbered the Azai, even with reinforcements sent from Asakura, by between five and ten thousand men. Oda directly engaged the Azai Army, while the Tokugawa engaged the Asakura reinforcements. Despite being gravely outnumbered, the Azai Army was experienced in fighting superior numbers, and were holding their ground against the Oda, partly due to Nagamasa leading boldly from the front. As the Tokugawa Army swiftly routed the Asakura, Ieyasu Tokugawa sent a force into the Azai Army's flanks, leading Nagamasa to call for a retreat rather than face destruction. Despite this assured victory, the Oda Army itself withdrew shortly afterward.

Eventually, Nobunaga laid siege to Nagamasa's capital, Odani Castle. The Asakura attempted to send a relief force, but Nobunaga headed them off, routed them, then chased them back into their lands and utterly destroyed the Asakura. When Nobunaga returned to continue the siege, Nagamasa knew that he would be forced to stand alone against the wrath of his brother-in-law. He sent Oichi to Nobunaga to guarantee her safety, then led the remainder of his army to answer for the consequences of his decisions.

Martial Abilities______________________________________
└-Weapon specializations and fighting styles.

Lances: For a weapon that is exotic and foreign to the Ransei region, Nagamasa's ability to deftly and handily wield the European lance—a weapon half-again his height—is a sight to behold. It is said that once he gets his momentum going with the weapon, no enemy has a chance to get close to him or move in the area he threatens, leading to his nickname "Cockblocker of Bizen."

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Weapon Proficiency
└─Power Level: Grandmaster

Grass and leaves crunched underfoot as he strode silently through the lightly-forested glade atop the mountain. This far from Nagahama, the sounds of civilization were tiny and far away, leaving him alone with his memories and the ghosts of the past.

Eyes closed, lips moving as though faintly murmuring to himself, Azai Nagamasa moved slowly and methodically through the still glade, turning this way and that, stopping, looking about, and changing direction several times before finally coming to a halt, looking down at the ground beneath his feet, then around him at the unremarkable ground around him. No one else would know this spot from Nevada, but in his soul, Nagamasa knew the spot. He stood on the ground that had once been directly below the keep of Odani Castle, from where he had watched the Oda Army encircle and besiege him.

From where he had last seen Oichi, having secured Nobunaga's promise that she would not be harmed if he sent her to her brother.

He'd been around the land a few times, touring, visiting places he never could have in the last era. He'd seen the great castles of the time still standing proud: Hojo's Odawara, Toyotomi's Osaka, Date's Sendai, Oda's Azuchi. And yet all that remained of his own Odani was a stone tablet that let wanderers and hikers know that his castle had once stood here.

"Just like Nobunaga to destroy all traces of his enemies," he mused aloud with a smirk. "It's a wonder that history records my name at all..."